Quad

Head-to-head

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
Philander Smith

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Saint Mary-of-the-Woods graduates 18 pts more of its students than Philander Smith (58% vs. 39%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    Philander Smith has 18 pts more Pell recipients than Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (68% vs. 50%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  3. 3

    Philander Smith costs about $8.7K less per year on average than Saint Mary-of-the-Woods ($14,412 vs. $23,156, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Saint Mary-of-the-Woods's grants cover 55% of its full price on average, vs. 49% at Philander Smith

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    Saint Mary-of-the-Woods grads earn $5.4K more ten years out than Philander Smith's ($43,845 vs. $38,427)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Philander Smith has 3 pts more first-gen students than Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (43% vs. 40%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods admits 72%; Philander Smith doesn't report an acceptance rate.

Acceptance rate
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods72%
Philander SmithNot reported
Quad's selectivity
  • Saint Mary-of-the-WoodsAccessible
  • Philander SmithNot rated
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Saint Mary-of-the-WoodsGPA and school record required
  • Philander SmithNot reported

Who's on each campus

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is a bit larger than Philander Smith (853 vs. 751 undergrads); Philander Smith has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods853
Philander Smith751
Pell Grant share
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods50%
Philander Smith68%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, and Business Administration and Management at Philander Smith.

Students per faculty member
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods9 to 1
Philander Smith11 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Saint Mary-of-the-WoodsRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse21%
  • Philander SmithBusiness Administration and Management, General30%

What each costs

Philander Smith costs about $8.7K less a year than Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on average; Saint Mary-of-the-Woods's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods$23.2K
Philander Smith$14.4K
Aid generosity
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods55%
Philander Smith49%

What each pays off

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods's former students earn more, a median $43.8K ten years after enrolling.

Median earnings, 10 years
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods$43.8K
Philander Smith$38.4K
Graduation rate
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods58%
Philander Smith39%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, which got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Saint Mary-of-the-WoodsGrowing+269%
  • Philander SmithNot reported
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why